Robert is a first-year epidemiology Ph.D. student whose interests include infectious disease transmission modeling, biodefense, and health security. Prior to joining Brown, Robert worked as a consultant for Gryphon Scientific and Deloitte, where he specialized in developing risk assessments associated with viral, bacterial, fungal, and other toxic agents. As a consultant, Robert extensively supported ASPR’s Office of Healthcare Readiness (OHCR), FEMA’s Office of Emerging Threats (OET), and CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), among others. Robert holds an MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Colby College.

Margaret is a first-year Ph.D. student. Before beginning her doctoral studies, Margaret worked at Westat, a contract research organization, where she managed a CDC-funded project that worked to estimate the effectiveness of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines in the US. She also has research and applied public health experience addressing dengue in the Philippines and HIV/AIDS in Botswana. Her research interests include improving preparedness for and responses to future pandemics – with a focus on community engagement. She holds a Master of Science in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Global Health from Georgetown University.

Maria Pieruccini previously worked at the Rhode Island Department of Health assisting in infectious disease investigations and the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation researching alternative Tuberculosis testing methods. Maria received her Bachelors in Public Health from The Ohio State University with a concentration in Sociology in 2022 and is currently pursuing her MPH from Brown University with a concentration in global infectious disease epidemiology. 

Experience working with the Pandemic Center, in their own words:

Kris is a senior studying Biochemistry and Science, Technology, and Society. Outside of the Pandemic Center, Kris is also involved in the Surveillance of Infectious Disease Lab with Dr. Katie Siddle. Previously, he received a UTRA to support the Biosecurity Game Changers Initiative in summer 2024. 

Ruviha is a senior at Brown University studying Public Health and enrolled in Brown’s Five-Year UG/MPH program on the epidemiology track. She has previously worked at the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Computational Epidemiology Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. She is interested in infectious diseases, surveillance, and epidemiology.

Huyen is a second-year undergraduate student at Brown University who is planning to double concentrate in public health and biochemistry in the Pre-Med track. As a prospective public health concentrator, many of her interests often intersect with epidemiology and environmental health, which have shaped her involvements in community engagement and outreach work. Huyen is also passionate about exploring different interventions on unique public health issues through the lense of health policy, with the hope to directly impact the people and the environment around her.   

Outside of academic work, Huyen loves drawing, buying gifts for the people she adores, and trying new baking recipes.  

Experience working with the Pandemic Center, in their own words:

Experience working with the Pandemic Center, in their own words:

Experience working with the Pandemic Center, in their own words:

Experience working with the Pandemic Center, in their own words: